A New Curriculum

[nailit]

What new subjects would you put on the school curriculum?
A couple of other posters tonight have made excellent suggestions.
(mental health awareness, first aid etc)
I think that Id like to opt for critical thinking skills!

And what subjects should be removed?
I havnt a clue what the present curriculum is so don't know but when I was at school, things like woodwork and metal work and art were a complete waste of my time.

[Mamyalynne]

Here are things as they stand with links to different key stages.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum

[pixie374]

Most of mine were a waste of time... Most useful were probably Maths, Latin, Biology and Economics. There should be more vocational choices...
I would add Maths, English, Biology, Psychology (incl mental health), Economics, languages (optional), Citizenship (first aid, budgeting, interviews, employment, etc), Common Sense and Practical Skills ;-)

[jno]

woodwork lessons would have been valuable if they inspired you to become a carpenter or other craftsman. Some of the things I was taught have turned out useful, some haven't, but who's to know in advance?

[pixie374]

It isn't that much in advance though. I could have said at 12 years old that Physics and Chemistry would be a waste of time for me. Maybe Animal Care too.

[Old_Geezer]

A good subject might be, "How to think for oneself rather than go along with the crowd, and adopt the views of peers and teachers".

Financial studies. Self reliance. Basic cooking and nutritional studies. How to study. How to debate. How to sort opinion from fact and understand how to identify what is worthy of belief from fake claims and conspiracy theories. There's a few more for you.

[nailit]

Think I would have liked how to iron a friggin shirt.
At nearly 53 yrs of age I still cant iron a shirt without getting more creases in it than when it came out of the wash!

Domestic science for boys...

[jno]

I thought I'd be good at things like physics and was surprised not to be. I assumed I must be thick but on second thoughts it may be I just didn't cotton on to the way it was taught. We had classes of 40 or so, so there was no way one teacher could have been perfect for everyone.

[Prudie]

I gained value from all the subjects I did at school, even those I dropped after O-level and even those I detested (eg domestic science). I'm a bit 'old skool' and would like to see a heavy academic focus on the curriculum with all these soft/life skills as an extra where the timetable allows but no more than that.

[Rockrose]

How to iron? Is something your parents should teach you not the school!

[nailit]

Would have liked flying lessons too. Always loved flying, would be a pilot if I had my time again. Had to learn how to make a dovetail joint instead or how to kick a ball up and down a big grass field or how the industrial revolution happened...yawn!
What a waste of time.

[nailit]

//How to iron? Is something your parents should teach you not the school! //
Yes, if ur lucky enough to have parents like that.

[pixie374]

Good suggestions from og... boys do domestic science too. Although nobody irons any more :-)

[Mamyalynne]

I feel flying lessons are a step too far dor the curriculum , that's why the Air Cadets are flourishing, my eldest Grandson's passion.

[nailit]

Maybe diet and healthy eating should be taught in schools as well.
So many obese kids about nowadays without parental guidence and fast foods etc.

[pixie374]

Prude, I went to a school that was heavily academic. They considered the only people really worth teaching were those going to Oxford or Cambridge. It was presumed everyone would go to university. I shouldn't even have bothered with A Levels really... never used them. More choice would have been good.

[237SJ]

I was taught about diet and healthy eating when I was at school. Has that changed?

[nailit]

//I was taught about diet and healthy eating when I was at school. Has that changed? //
Dunno. Whats considered healthy seems to continually change...

[Mamyalynne]

//Cooking and nutrition
As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the
principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open
a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a
crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now
and in later life.
Pupils should be taught to:
Key stage 1
 use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
 understand where food comes from.
Key stage 2
 understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
 prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking
techniques
 understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown,
reared, caught and processed.//

[fiction-factory]

Diet and healthy eating is taught at secondary schools. I've covered it in Science and in Food Tech. School children should be familiar with the Eat Well plate. Whether they take any notice is another matter

[pixie374]

Prudie...sorry, autocorrect has a lot to answer for!